-
Vigier is a French brand specializing in high-end electric guitars and basses. The company was created in 1980 by Patrice Vigier and produces its instruments in France. The brand is known for its rigorous manufacturing and control methods, for its technological innovations and for the international artists who use their instruments. Despite decades of existence, it must be noted that the electric guitar industry is a particularly traditional and conservative environment. There are therefore very few brands, such as Vigier, where the research and development division prevails over marketing.
-
Beginning with the Arpege guitars and basses in 1980, Patrice Vigier introduced his vision to the world of guitar. These instruments featured: a proprietary bridge design, neck through body construction, 18 volt active electronics and a delta metal plate between the fingerboard and the neck for stability and tone. The original delta metal fretless instruments were already in production at this time as well. Through this decade, Vigier introduced modular PCB-based electronics, Phenowood fingerboards and the Nautilus - the first guitar to feature on-board memory and a microprocessor. In 1989, Vigier introduced the foundation upon which all instruments we currently produce are built - the 10/90 neck system.
-
With the new 10/90 neck in place as the centerpiece of the lineup, Patrice Vigier started the decade by introducing the shape Vigier is perhaps most associated with – the Excalibur. With the Excalibur came the Vigier/Floyd Rose tremolo system, which pivots on ball bearings. In 1995, with the introduction of the Excalibur Supra and Special, Shawn Lane would join as a Vigier endorser alongside Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal. These players and their style continue to be synonymous with Vigier. Not to be left behind, French guitar revolutionary Christophe Godin joined the Vigier team in 1999. This wacky bastard has influenced a generation of players like his stateside counterparts. His wild style (including early slap-guitar innovations) and sense of humor fit his Vigier instruments like a glove. He is a cornerstone of Vigier’s presence in France and beyond. To keep up with the cutting edge musicians playing his instruments, in 1998 Patrice reintroduced his fretless concept from nearly two decades prior. The Excalibur Surfreter was launched and its impact was immediately felt.
-
The turn of the century saw Patrice pursue something of a vintage passion – the triple single coil guitar. What he created from this vintage perspective was the Expert series. The Expert models all feature vintage design married to cutting edge single coils and Vigier’s signature neck, trem, hardware and finish innovations. Of course as much as he looked back, our fearless leader continued to look forward. This was also the year Vigier introduced the interchangeable zero fret, the Excess 4 string bass and the Excalibur Supra 7 string guitar. Vigier began production of the Shawn Lane Signature Excalibur in 2005. It remains the only model available in our lineup with a flat fingerboard. In 2006, Vigier opened its UK office and introduced the Bumblefoot and Roger Glover signature models, the first left handed Excaliburs and managed to innovate something as simple as the strap button on every instrument. Patrice’s father, Georges Vigier passed in 2007. Georges had helped Patrice build the very machines that help make Vigier the precision instruments they are. In 2009 he was memorialized with the G.V. series – Patrice’s most accomplished instrument to date.
-
The G.V. racked up accolades in the first half of the decade earning “Guitar of the Year” in the UK in both 2010 and 2011. In the USA, Premier Guitar gave the G.V. a “Premier Gear” award. 2010 also saw the introduction of the Excess 5 string bass, the G.V. P90, the Flex Retainer string retention system, and perhaps the most striking Vigier ever – the DoubleBfoot.
-
After nearly two decades of production, the Excalibur Surfreters got their first major upgrade in 2012 with the introduction of the iMetal fingerboard. To commemorate the occasion, Guthrie Govan takes one for a spin online and remarks on what an achievement the fretboard is. With this new fingerboard material, the DoubleBfoot is introduced to the public as a production guitar in 2013.
-
The rest of the 2010s saw incremental, but very important steps forward in the evolution of Vigier Guitars: Stainless steel frets, the string dampener, the removable Zero Fret S, and Neutrik locking jacks were introduced across the product line making the ultimate players’ guitars that much more friendly to life on the road. Vigier introduced Patrice’s wild and unique RockArt finishes in 2016. These highly customizable finishes allow players to express themselves visually as well as sonically. As a coda to the decade, in 2019 Vigier introduced the G.V. Hollow – the company’s first ever hollow body instrument – and the debut of Patrice Vigier’s band Summer Storm.
-
This year, we are proud to continue the tradition started in 1980 by introducing some of our most revolutionary innovations to date. MIDI pickup switching, scalloped fingerboard, a hollow Passion bass, transparent RockArt designs, contoured maple tops and a new locking neck design are just the first steps into a new decade shaped by the three before it. We are proud to continue to push the envelope and look for solutions in places others have deemed solved. As the pioneers of carbon fiber technology, we invite you to join the revolution and see, feel and hear the culmination of 40 years of innovation and craftsmanship.
